I find local independent health food shops very good. In my area Kilworthy Kapers are excellent.Places like these will often order anything you want as they need the business and know this is the secret of repeat business. If it is something you use often they will often do a discount on a case.

My local asian store has just started selling glutinous rice flour and panko.Trouble is now I have a bag of glutinous rice flour and no clue what to do with it.

Mochi! Icing sugar + rice flour + water in a tupperware/takeaway container. Shake it all up and stir it. Microwave with the lid on, then with it off. Roll into blobs. Roll blobs in coconut. Refrigerate. Salivate. Masticate.

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

I finally found a place to get cheap popcorn (I live in the country and it's not in any of the stores, except ASDA, where it's, like, £2.50 a kg) and vital wheat gluten -- online (realfoods.co.uk and delivery is free if your order is at least £10). Finally, I can try to make seitan. Also, they have yerba mate!!

I finally found a place to get cheap popcorn (I live in the country and it's not in any of the stores, except ASDA, where it's, like, £2.50 a kg) and vital wheat gluten -- online (realfoods.co.uk and delivery is free if your order is at least £10). Finally, I can try to make seitan. Also, they have yerba mate!!

WHAT!? You can make seitan with strong bread flour! It's easy!

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

My local asian store has just started selling glutinous rice flour and panko.Trouble is now I have a bag of glutinous rice flour and no clue what to do with it.

Mochi! Icing sugar + rice flour + water in a tupperware/takeaway container. Shake it all up and stir it. Microwave with the lid on, then with it off. Roll into blobs. Roll blobs in coconut. Refrigerate. Salivate. Masticate.

Wait. That's all I have to do to get mochi?! o.O How much water do you add?

Umm… I would hazard a guess at "just enough to cover it". I can't really remember off the top of my head, but if you add apricot marmalade it turns to noms. I think it's one of those "lets add things and see what happens" affairs, although I did follow a real recipe once upon a time.

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

Umm… I would hazard a guess at "just enough to cover it". I can't really remember off the top of my head, but if you add apricot marmalade it turns to noms. I think it's one of those "lets add things and see what happens" affairs, although I did follow a real recipe once upon a time.

I think you need the sugar to be very fine, otherwise you'll get crystals. You could try making a white sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water, but you'd have to make sure that is all dissolves and does not caramelise. Or you could use white sugar and see what happens.

I finally found a place to get cheap popcorn (I live in the country and it's not in any of the stores, except ASDA, where it's, like, £2.50 a kg) and vital wheat gluten -- online (realfoods.co.uk and delivery is free if your order is at least £10). Finally, I can try to make seitan. Also, they have yerba mate!!

WHAT!? You can make seitan with strong bread flour! It's easy!

I can?!! The only recipe I found on-line (this was ages ago, mind you) seemed so tricky and involved all this weird rinsing and soaking and looked like it would take ages.

You basically knead together a flour and water dough, then leave it to sit for half an hour, then knead it underwater (as in in a mixing bowl in the sink) and throw away the starchy water, then refill with water and knead again a few times until enough of the starch has run out. Gluten does not dissolve in water, so as long as you keep it sticking to itself, it should not run away. It takes maybe ten minutes of actual labour? Probably less. It's really easy, but a bit messy.

*checks* The VWG on realfoods is a bit expensive! At my local health food shop*, it's £3.50 a kilo.

Anyway, VWG is good for convenience's sake. I like to mix it with a little (20%?) rice flour or chick pea flour, but that's mainly because my IBS makes me regret it if I don't. I can't handle that much undiluted protein at once.

*which is honestly the best one ever ever ever.

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

You basically knead together a flour and water dough, then leave it to sit for half an hour, then knead it underwater (as in in a mixing bowl in the sink) and throw away the starchy water, then refill with water and knead again a few times until enough of the starch has run out. Gluten does not dissolve in water, so as long as you keep it sticking to itself, it should not run away. It takes maybe ten minutes of actual labour? Probably less. It's really easy, but a bit messy.

Now that is news I can use! Thanks -- that sounds a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Gulliver wrote:

Anyway, VWG is good for convenience's sake. I like to mix it with a little (20%?) rice flour or chick pea flour, but that's mainly because my IBS makes me regret it if I don't. I can't handle that much undiluted protein at once.

Ooh -- I love the idea of mixing it with other (compatible) flours!

I'm jealous of your health food shop! The closest thing we have to a health food shop around here is either Holland & Barrett or the Co-op!

I think it's one of the benefits of living in a very small, very middle-class town-that-pretends-it's-still-a-village; for independent shops to survive, they have to go above and beyond the call of duty. Whereas I've been met by blank looks when trying to order weirder items elsewhere, I get "it'll be here on Tuesday".

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

I've not found them despite checking Morrisons (unlikely), Sainsbury's (slightly more likely), and Waitrose (my last hope). Anyone know if y'all get/where I can get Honeycrisp apples? Its that time of year and I'm sure I'll pay out the nose for them, but I just want one or two for seasonal memory and awesome tastiness reasons.

Sorry, I know this is the "I found this" thread. I didn't know if there was another. Please direct me if there is.

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:31 pmPosts: 1620Location: In the land of Druids and Moonrakers

I don't think Honeycrisp is a variety which is really sold in the UK. There are loads of heirloom varieties though that you'll find in the farmers' markets at this time of year - and if you're looking for something a little Honeycrisp-like, maybe try Empire apples (M&S often have them).

Anyone know if y'all get/where I can get Honeycrisp apples? Its that time of year and I'm sure I'll pay out the nose for them, but I just want one or two for seasonal memory and awesome tastiness reasons.

My local Waitrose has canned pumpkin at the moment (for halloween time, I guess). I know you could make pumpkin puree out of actual pumpkins, but this is so much easier.

And it's just better in some ways.

Thanks for the responses about the Honeycrisps, guys! That is sad, and I'll sort of keep an eye out, but I figured they just weren't here. I didn't want to rule it out, because like y'all have shown me, I can get most things here! I'll try Empire. Thanks!

I finally found a place to get cheap popcorn (I live in the country and it's not in any of the stores, except ASDA, where it's, like, £2.50 a kg) and vital wheat gluten -- online (realfoods.co.uk and delivery is free if your order is at least £10). Finally, I can try to make seitan. Also, they have yerba mate!!